Exceptional: fewer than 1,000 minted. Sells occasionally: 4 verified sales in the last 12 months.
50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten Silver Proof (2013)
Circulating version: 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Benjamin Britten
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2013 |
| Denomination | 50 Pence |
| Face value | 50p |
| Mintage | 717 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 8.000g · 0.2379 t oz |
| Diameter | 27.3mm |
| Shape | Equilateral curve heptagon (7-sided) |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Rev. artist | Tom Phillips |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Tags | Music Birth anniversary |
Fourth crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
ELIZABETH·II D·G·REG·F·D FIFTY PENCE · 2013 IRB
Lettering across seven horizontal lines with two musical staves.
· BLOW BUGLE · BLOW BENJAMIN COMPOSER·BORN 1913 BRITTEN SET THE WILD ECHOES FLYING
Silver Proof 50p market value
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Daily limit reachedSilver Proof 50p value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-65 | £51.05 🔒 eBay | £72.56 | – | £51.05 – £89.97 | 4 | 4 | 01-09-2026 | |
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About the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Silver Proof
The 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Silver Proof is a collector 50 pence coin, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 8g and measures 27.3mm across. Reverse design: Lettering across seven horizontal lines with two musical staves.
717 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Silver Proof worth?
The 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Silver Proof has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £72.56 in PR-65, the median of its verified sales. Its silver content is worth about £9.50 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
How is the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Silver Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Benjamin Britten, not the coin found in change. It is struck in 92.5% silver rather than nickel.
How do I identify the 2013 50 Pence - Elizabeth II Benjamin Britten – Silver Proof?
Check the weight 8g and diameter 27.3mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a collector version of the 50 Pence - Elizabeth II – Benjamin Britten. The history below is that coin's; the mintage, varieties and collecting notes on its page do not apply to this strike.
Benjamin Britten was born on 22 November 1913, the feast day of St Cecilia, patron saint of music. The Royal Mint marked the centenary with a 50p developed with the Britten-Pears Foundation. Its launch material called it the first British coin to feature a composer.
The royal proclamation for the coin was made on 12 December 2012. The Mint revealed the design on 2 September 2013 and sold collector versions from 27 September, with the circulating coin due to follow later that year.
The Royal Mint's figures give 5,300,000 struck for circulation. Two commemorative 50p coins are dated 2013, and this is the lower of the two: the Christopher Ironside coin has 7,000,000. Both sit well below that year's standard Royal Shield 50p at 10,301,000.
The artist Tom Phillips designed the reverse, and it is made entirely of lettering. The name BENJAMIN BRITTEN is framed on a double stave, the two halves separated by COMPOSER BORN 1913. BLOW BUGLE BLOW runs across the top and SET THE WILD ECHOES FLYING across the base.
The words are Tennyson's, set to music by Britten in his Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings. The double stave refers to the piano, on which Britten was a virtuoso. Phillips said: "What I wanted the coin to speak of was music." He described the quotation as a clarion call for a musical anniversary.
With no room for a value on the reverse, the obverse carries FIFTY PENCE and the date 2013 around Ian Rank-Broadley's fourth portrait of the Queen. The Royal Mint describes it as the first UK 50p to show both date and denomination on the obverse. The edge is plain.
Sources
- UK coin mintage figures (data file), The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 50p Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 2013 Elizabeth II 'The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Benjamin Britten' 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Benjamin Britten 2013 UK 50p Coin, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation determining the specifications and design for fifty pence coins commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten, London Gazette issue 60356, 14 December 2012, pages 24042 to 24043, The Gazette (read 9 Oct 2026)
- The Royal Mint's Benjamin Britten 50p strikes a musical note, CoinsWeekly (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Britten Centenary Coin, Tom Phillips (read 9 Oct 2026)
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